A photo that has recently cropped up on an image sharing website appears to show Apple chief executive Steve Jobs holding an iPhone conversation during a recent youth sporting event in California.

Admittedly, the photo tests the boundaries of what could be considered "news" and is also difficult to authenticate due to a slight motion blur. Nevertheless, it does appear to show the Apple co-founder, clad in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck, plugged into some form of electronics device.

"Yes, the photo is for real, and yes it is an iPhone that he was talking on, or at least it was the same size and shape," wrote the photographer, who goes by the tag name "thane" on image sharing website, Flickr. "He took it out of his pocket to make calls using the touchscreen."

Engaging viewers' question in the comments that accompanied the photo, thane went on to say that he could hear Jobs' side of the conversation, but admitted that wasn't paying much attention to what was said.

"I'm amazed that people find this so interesting. It's public information that they're developing the iPhone -- I wasn't surprised to see him using one (presumably they're testing prototypes or something)," he wrote. "I just thought it was kind of cool that he was using one, pointed my cellphone in his general direction, and pressed the button."

Admittedly, the photo tests the boundaries of what could be considered "news" and is also difficult to authenticate due to a slight motion blur. Nevertheless, it does appear to show the Apple co-founder, clad in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck, plugged into some form of electronics device.

I'm no genius or anything, but it would appear that he's wearing the headphone accessory with the cellular talkie thing that was also announced as an Apple iPhone accessory and that the F-----'n phone IS IN HIS POCKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

first this guy is a billionare, no way in hell they could get that close to him, trump is a broke as, compare to him and you wont get near 100 feet from that guy, and where the hell is the phone ? oh yeah is in his pocket, because someone says it is, yeah right

I'm no genius or anything, but it would appear that he's wearing the headphone accessory with the cellular talkie thing that was also announced as an Apple iPhone accessory and that the F-----'n phone IS IN HIS POCKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Duh?

OK, as a photographic interpreter in a previous life, answer me this:

1. Have you ever worn a pair of jeans that had a forward leaning pocket that was placed on the front of the leg?

2. If it is still unapproved by FCC then, uhhhhhhhh, damn?

3. It does have Bluetooth.........why give people room to chatter about crappy photos like this?

4. The white border around the iPhone is SMALLER than the diameter of a strand of chain link fence...why does it look so much like an extention of the headphones he is using?

I didn't say "this isn't Steve" nor did I say "there isn't a cord running down his stomach, and apparently attached to something"

I simply said "there is no phone"

You are right, Things are not as they seem - nor they as we might want them to be.....

I've seen Steve at his kids' school events and, yes, he does wear his trademark attire even while other dads are wearing their respective "work clothes" (ie: suits, slacks, etc.). (His on attends my prep school alma mater).

1. Have you ever worn a pair of jeans that had a forward leaning pocket that was placed on the front of the leg?

2. If it is still unapproved by FCC then, uhhhhhhhh, damn?

3. It does have Bluetooth.........why give people room to chatter about crappy photos like this?

4. The white border around the iPhone is SMALLER than the diameter of a strand of chain link fence...why does it look so much like an extention of the headphones he is using?

I didn't say "this isn't Steve" nor did I say "there isn't a cord running down his stomach, and apparently attached to something"

I simply said "there is no phone"

1. WHAT THE F-----K ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IT's a F--------kn camera phone photo, how do you see a "FORWARD LEANING POCKET" and WTF is a "FORWARD LEANING POCKET PLACED ON THE FRONT O FTHE LEG?" I can't barely make out anything aside from it does appear to be steve given the face, size of the man, the posture and what have you.

2. OK Smarty Pants (no pun intended). You should know that just because its not fcc approved doesnt mean jobs cant test it, it means apple cant yet sell it

3. What the CRANK HECK POOP STANK are you talking about here? And if you mean why is he using the wired headphones with the cellular voice receiver over the bluetooth headset then it is because hes listening to music AND talking, not just talking. He likes the BEATLES.

4. OK I have no idea what your trout-sniffin arse is saying here either. Maybe take some time to be clear anc concise when you write this stuff even if you cannot spell like me.

first this guy is a billionare, no way in hell they could get that close to him, trump is a broke as, compare to him and you wont get near 100 feet from that guy, and where the hell is the phone ? oh yeah is in his pocket, because someone says it is, yeah right

You overestimate his narcissism. Steve lives in an unpretentious home in Palo Alto. He goes jogging through the neighborhood without a security entourage. He sits in regular seats in his son's school auditorium. Back in the 1990's I met him at the local Fry's Electroinics, believe it or not. For all the bad press he gets, he's actually just your run-of-the-mill dad who just happens to be a passionate and formidable marketing genius and CEO.

first this guy is a billionare, no way in hell they could get that close to him, trump is a broke as, compare to him and you wont get near 100 feet from that guy, and where the hell is the phone ? oh yeah is in his pocket, because someone says it is, yeah right

Steve Jobs has a history of not following FCC rules very carefully. (For those not in the know, one of the first collaborations between Jobs and Wozniak was a box that could help you make free long distance phone calls.)

Anyone want to chip in with me and buy Mr. Jobs a navy blue mock turtleneck? He needs some variety!

Actually, it's only illegal to SELL the device before getting FCC approval. Ya gotta test it somehow.
Also, Steve wore a brown turtleneck at his MacWorld Keynote address. I guess he was trying to look like a fuzzy Zoon.

I dunno. It's mildly entertaining and much better than reading about how some people voted Apple the 7th bestest most admired company, or how some crappy market ranking website says Mac OS usage grew one 500th of a percentage point in January while Windows dropped one 500th of a percentage point in January, or how the BBC, Rhapsody, RQP, (insert any shitty company name here) plans to to TAKE ON AND DESTROY itunes with their own shitty service.

You overestimate his narcissism. Steve lives in an unpretentious home in Palo Alto. He goes jogging through the neighborhood without a security entourage. He sits in regular seats in his son's school auditorium. Back in the 1990's I met him at the local Fry's Electroinics, believe it or not. For all the bad press he gets, he's actually just your run-of-the-mill dad who just happens to be a passionate and formidable marketing genius and CEO.

This is true. I've actually exchanged emails with the guy.

He's still arrogant, but in a 'man of the people' kinda way. If you live in Palo Alto, there's a chance you'll run into him somewhere. I know folks who have (I live in Mountain View, one town over).

Also, Steve wore a brown turtleneck at his MacWorld Keynote address. I guess he was trying to look like a fuzzy Zoon.

But it looked black under the store's fluorescent lighting! Then he took it home and saw it was really a dark brown under sunlight or incandescent light, and he cursed under his breath. I can relate to such pitfalls when buying black clothes; Pavement really wasn't kidding with that lyrics about "40 different shades of black"...

He's still arrogant, but in a 'man of the people' kinda way. If you live in Palo Alto, there's a chance you'll run into him somewhere. I know folks who have (I live in Mountain View, one town over).

.

Well, I'd argue that... of all the people I've met... he's one who has a right to be arrogant. After all, his baby had been going to Hell in a handbasket since he was fired by the guy he hired and, when he returned to mop up the mess, Apple's been flourishing. Honestly, the most arrogant man I've ever met was Bill Gates. If you're not among his elite circle, he assumes you're a servant of some sort.

Anyone want to chip in with me and buy Mr. Jobs a navy blue mock turtleneck? He needs some variety!

I seem to remember reading something about Albert Einstein having a closet full
of identical suits, shirts, and ties. It was his thinking that he did not want to use
any brain bandwidth deciding what to wear every day. Maybe it is the same with
Steve, so please don't buy him more colors. We need him to keep using his brain
the way he has been.

Let me elaborate with a true story...
Seven or eight years ago, a friend of mine, we'll call him George, was managing a landscaping crew for a friend of his, a former lady Sr. Exec at Apple, whom Mr. Gates was visiting for a few days in the town of Woodside, CA. When Gates arrived, he told George to carry his bags in for him. George, a temporarily (pre 9/11) undeployed active duty Special Forces commander (whose Medical officer was married to Bill's Hostess) told him to go f*ck himself and to carry his own luggage.

I dunno. It's mildly entertaining and much better than reading about how some people voted Apple the 7th bestest most admired company, or how some crappy market ranking website says Mac OS usage grew one 500th of a percentage point in January while Windows dropped one 500th of a percentage point in January, or how the BBC, Rhapsody, RQP, (insert any shitty company name here) plans to to TAKE ON AND DESTROY itunes with their own shitty service.

You know why AI reports those kinds of stories, including this one? Because if they didn't, we wouldn't have anything to read about and therefore argue over. AI wants to get people to there site daily, if not a few times a day. If they only reported new stuff every 2 or 3 days, they would be doomed.

Well OK then. So to absolutely no one's surprise, Steve is a regular guy with an above average phone and iPod with a regular family. Meanwhile the people who follow and treat him like a God can't believe that Steve isn't heavily guarded by Secret Service at every turn. You see that guy in the white hat standing next to the fence to Steve's left? Yeah, he's one of them.